▪ I. jaunty, a.
(ˈdʒɔːntɪ)
Forms: α. 7 jentee, juntee, shauntee, 7–8 jante(e, jauntee, 8 jantée, 8–9 janté. β. (7 ganty), 7–9 janty, 8 jantie, 8– jaunty.
[First found in 17th c., in forms jantee (in 8 also jantée, janté) and janty, anglicized phonetic representations of F. gentil (pronounced ʒɑ̃ti), noble, gentle, genteel; at first app. with final stress (dʒanˈtiː), but soon treated like an Eng. adj. in -y, and with the F. a lengthened as in chant, aunt, haunt. Cf. gentee, genty.]
† 1. Of persons, their manners, etc.: Well-bred; gentlemanly; genteel. Obs.
| α 1674 J. Wright Mock Thyestes 109 'Twould be most redicule, and he That does it, not at all jentee. 1675 Crowne Country Wit i. i. 11 See how finely bred he is, how juntee and complaisant. a 1676 Dk. Newcastle Humorous Lovers 20 He is very jantee indeed, and of a humour now in fashion. 1713 S. Centlivre Wonder ii. i, Now, in my mind, I take snuff with a very jantee air. a 1750 T. Gordon Another Cordial (1751) II. 138 They look upon a Jantee air and Mien to be excellent Virtues. 1752 Fielding Amelia v. vii, Mrs. Ellison..said, so Captain, my jantee [mod. ed. jaunty] serjeant was very early here. |
| β 1663 Killigrew Parson's Wedd. i. iii, 'Tis true, 'tis a good ganty way of begging. 1667 Dryden Maiden Queen v. i, Save you Monsieur Florimel. Faith, methinks you are a very janty fellow. 1709 Mrs. Manley Secret Mem. 229 [She] had something jantie in her Mein and Conversation. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 503 ¶2 Whether it is reasonable that..such a Creature as this shall come from a janty Part of the Town, and give herself such violent Airs. c 1830 Mrs. Sherwood in Houlston Tracts III. No. 81. 3 She had..what my mother called a very jaunty genteel air. |
† b. Of things: Elegant, stylish, ‘smart’. ? Obs.
| α 1678 Shadwell Timon Epil., This Jantee slightness to the French we owe. 1687 Settle Refl. Dryden 10 A Discourse so jauntee that 'tis the first you have met with yet, that has been all clear wit, and no Billinsgate. 1708 Motteux Rabelais iv. xlviii, With a jantee pair of Canvass Trowzers. a 1770 C. Smart Fables xvi, A bag-wig of a jauntee air, Trick'd up with all a barber's care. 1771 T. Hull Hist. Sir W. Harrington (1797) II. 226 A true jauntee manner of dressing is, to be sure, a vast advantage. |
| β 1662 Hobbes Considered 54 A new Gin, or other janty device. 1713 Gay Guard. No. 149 ¶7 We owe most of our janty fashions now in vogue, to some adept beau among them. 1760 Warton Oxford Newsman's Verses 9 What tho' they dress so fine and ja'nty? 1864 A. Leighton Myst. Leg. Edinburgh (1886) 153 Then every one knew how janty the bachelor had to make himself. |
2. Easy and sprightly in manner; having or affecting well-bred or easy sprightliness; affecting airy self-satisfaction or unconcern.
| 1672 Shadwell Miser iii. Wks. 1720 III. 48 Just that free and janty mein, that very easy and unconstrain'd motion which she describ'd. 1700 Farquhar Inconstant i. ii, Turn you about upon your heel with a jaunty [ed. 1786 janté] air. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 454 ¶4 This sort of Woman is usually a janty Slattern. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge lviii, He wore a jaunty cap and jacket. 1862 Sala Seven Sons II. i. 25 He saw..the jaunty little man coming across the high street. |
b. Lively, brisk.
| 1719 D'Urfey Pills III. 228 Brisk and of a Jantee Meen. 1755 Hervey Theron & Aspasia I. i. 10 However jauntee and alert the various methods of modern trifling may seem. 1819 Sporting Mag. IV. 155 A quick and janté motion of the finger and thumb. 1866 Livingstone Last Jrnls. ix. (1873) I. 229 The ladies have a jaunty walk. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 106 The old imitate the jaunty manners of the young. |
▪ II. jaunty, n. Naut. slang.
(ˈdʒɔːntɪ)
Also jaundy, jonty.
[Said to be a sailor's corruption of gendarme.]
The master-at-arms on board ship.
| 1902 Kipling Traffics & Discov. (1904) 197 The other jaunty is now pursuin' us on his lily feet. 1903 ‘L. Yexley’ Grog Time Yarns 3 The Chief of the Police—the Master-at-Arms—is always referred to as the ‘Jonty’. 1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. 159/2 Jaundy, master-at-arms. 1927 Blackw. Mag. Oct. 457/1 Mounting the rope ladder in that awful sea..proved a bit of a task to the unaccustomed Jonties. 1928 Weekly Dispatch 27 May 14 The sailor spun a yarn that would make the hardest⁓hearted jonty (master-at-arms) weep. |